Broadening Horizons
by Pheep
Summary: A weird little fic about what happens after Popuri leaves with Kai at the end of that one summer in BTN. =D Kai/Popuri, will be funnier in later chapters, and probably more deserving of the PG-13 rating. Reviews appreciated! A lot...^^;


^^ Hallo everyone! Well, here's my second attempt at writing a decent Harvest Moon fic...Let's hope it's an improvement from my last one, Growth. Don't read that one. Please.

And THIS fic, by the way, is for the Back to Nature game, and has a Kai/Popuri theme, so watch out if you don't like that pairing. Basically it's about what happens after Popuri leaves with Kai at the end of summer, as she can actually do in the game if you give Kai enough stuff. n_n Ah, bribery. ("Tell you what, I'll give you cooking oil every day for a month if you get rid of that annoying pink-head girl for us. Deal? Deal.") 

Warning!: this chapter may contain fluff. Run for your lives.

Or, _enjoy the fic_!

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Broadening Horizons

Chapter 1 -- _Out to Sea_

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Popuri liked the sea. 

It was very pretty, and watching the sun set over it was so romantic...Yes. She liked it.

Or at least, that's what she had thought. But now, as she lay awake on her bunk in the small cabin room, she had to wonder about this old opinion. After all, there were other aspects to consider now: the constant lurching and rocking, the salty smell in the air...the on-and-off nausea...

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'Stop thinking about it...' she told herself, fighting down a fresh wave of seasickness. She had been on this boat for the past sixteen hours now, and over that time she had learned a few things, the main being that she didn't like boats. Slowly, she sat up, swaying a little at a sudden jerk of the waves. She slipped out of bed, shoving her feet into a pair of pink slippers and reaching for a half-melted candle in its holder on a nearby table. Picking it up in one hand and a packet of matches in the other, she pulled out a single match and lit it, transferring the small flame to the candle and hastily blowing out the match. 

The near-pitch blackness of the room brightened, and Popuri stood, holding the candle close. Her long pink hair was tangled from her attempt at sleep, and her rose-colored eyes squinted as they adjusted to the light. Gingerly, she took a step forward, then started on a cautious walk towards the door. There was another violent lurch; Popuri's knees buckled, and she grabbed at a nearby bedpost, falling against it for support and shutting her eyes tightly. "Gah..!"

The boat continued to rock. Popuri clung to the post awkwardly, her arms twining around it in a death grip, her head tilted upwards against the cool metal. The candle was thankfully still clutched in her hand, though at an odd angle. Its flame danced wildly, casting flickering shadows on the nearest wall. 

After a short while the rocking subsided, reduced to a calm, easy swaying. Popuri's grip loosened a little. She opened her eyes now, and found herself staring directly up into the face of the man in the top bunk. Jumping a little in surprise, she started to panic, then realized that his eyes were closed. She smiled, relieved, and took the opportunity to study her roommate. Without his bandana on, his brown hair was actually fairly long, just down to his earlobes, and had grown tousled in the night. His tanned skin was shadowed in the darkness of the room, and his boyish features were peaceful and innocent-looking as he slept. 

Popuri stifled a giggle: 'Innocent'? Cute, anyway. Untangling herself from the bedpost, she took a careful step backward, thankful for the slippers muffling the sound of her feet. She turned, walked to the door, and opened it with painstaking slowness, so not to wake him. The door, however, had other plans, and made a creaking noise that was tragically loud to Popuri's ears. Turning her head quickly, she cast an anxious glance in the sleeping figure's direction. He didn't even stir. Sighing in relief as quietly as she could, she turned her head away again and tiptoed through the doorway.

"Sneaking out, are we?"

She whirled around. Kai looked out at her from his bunk, propping his head up with one hand. His gray eyes glinted in amusement, and a wry smile had appeared on his face. 

Popuri blinked at him a few times, baffled. After a short while, she found her voice. "...Y...You were awake the whole time, weren't you?!" she accused, frowning at him. He only raised his eyebrows at her, and continued to smile. 

She sighed. Why bother fighting? "...Yes, I was." She admitted. "I can't sleep."

Kai nodded. "Thought so." he said. "So where were you going? The deck?"

Now it was Popuri's turn to nod. How did he know these things about her? It was eerie, almost...Then again, it _was_ a very small boat. There weren't many other places she'd be going at this hour...

Kai grinned, sitting up in his bunk. "Want some company?" he asked. Popuri was about to say she'd rather go alone, then thought better of it; he was already half out of bed anyhow. It would be rude to say no.

So instead she smiled at him. "Alright, if you want."

Kai climbed down from the bunk and walked over to her, hardly seeming phased at all by the moving floor beneath him. Popuri, meanwhile, wobbled uncertainly and clutched at the doorframe for support, and was surprised when Kai didn't laugh at her. Instead he placed a firm hand on her shoulder, balancing her, then steered her out into the hallway and closed the door behind them. 

They walked along the deserted corridor in silence, Popuri's candle lighting the way. Trudging up a row of steep steps, they reached a small door built into the wooden ceiling. Kai slid it open, and they stepped up onto the deck. 

The fall air was cold against Popuri's skin, giving her goosebumps, especially with only a white nightgown to keep her warm, but at the same time it was strangely exhilarating as she and Kai walked over to the metal railing. She leaned against it. Looking up, she gasped; there were stars everywhere. They lit up the night sky, giving the dark waters below them a glossy sheen.

"It's so nice out here..." she said, sighing happily and getting a dreamy look on her face as she gazed out at the view. 

"Yeah..." Kai let go of her shoulder, and Popuri couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. She resisted the urge to rub the spot where his hand had been, though just barely. 

"...Popuri." She turned her head to give Kai a curious look. He was staring down at the water, his brow furrowed slightly. His mouth opened and closed silently a couple of times, struggling to put something into words, though she didn't know what. 

"Are you...having any second thoughts about this?" he finally asked. "About...about leaving?" There was a nervous tone in his voice, and his face bore a seriousness rarely seen on it as he continued to stare fixedly down at the waves.

Popuri stared at him, surprised. "N-no! Of course not!" she said quickly, and Kai looked up at her, a questioning look on his face. She blinked a couple of times. "Um...I mean..." 

There was an awkward pause, and her hands clenched at the railing."...This is what I want. What I've _wanted_...for a long time." She said slowly, looking away from him and out at the sea. She had never been good at making little speeches like this - it made her nervous.

Kai stared at her hard. "You're sure." 

She turned her head, briefly looking up and meeting his eyes. "Uh-huh." She said, and gave him a small, sheepish sort of smile. 

"And...me?" he ventured, tilting his head very slightly and arching his eyebrows at her.

"Huh?"

"You're sure about coming with **me**?" 

"Oh...Well, ah," she looked down at the floor, embarrassed. "...Yes." she said in a tiny voice.

There was another pause. Popuri's cheeks were burning; she risked a glance up at Kai, and this condition was not improved as she watched his face break into a slow, disarming grin. 

"Well, alright then!" He said, his words mixed with an odd, relieved sort of laughter. He straightened, taking his hands off of the railing. "That's settled." Not sure of what else to do, Popuri nodded in response, looking back down at the floor. She was no longer ready for a smiling Kai.

A long silence settled over them. Popuri stared down at the choppy waves, lost in her own thoughts and continuing to avoid Kai's face. After a while there was a yawn, and Kai stretched, blinking sleepily. "Gah...I'm gonna go back to bed now." He announced. "You coming?"

Pulling herself together, she smiled up at him. "No, I think I'll stay out here a little longer."

He smiled back, and it was enough to get the blood rushing to her face once again. "Okay, then..." Suddenly he leaned in, and before Popuri fully realized what was happening he had kissed her cheek. Still alarmingly close to her face, he muttered "G'nite," to her in a teasing voice, and then with a wicked grin, he was gone.

Popuri stood there, dazed and frozen to the spot, her face a very interesting shade of red. It was a good thing that she had the railing to lean on, actually, seeing as her legs were now dangerously unsteady. 

Not that the waves were acting up. 

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A/N: Gaaah! The fluff! It's everywhere! T_T Oh the humanity...

Well...I hope everyone seemed in-character enough to you all...And that the dialogue was convincing...and...erm...That it didn't suck overall. ^^;;; So! Why don't you **review**, and tell me what you think?

Yes, I am planning on continuing this sometime - the idea for the fic was to write up Popuri's experiences during her first year away from Mineral Town, you see. Although, if I don't get any **reviews**, it could just end up as a happy little one-shot...And we would want _that_, would we?

=D Would we?

...Well, anyway. That's about it for now. So...eh...End transmission! (Or something equally cheesy),

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~Pheep

(P.S.: **R-E-V-I-E-W**.)


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